César FRANCK (1822-1890)
Violin Sonata in A major (arr. Jules Delsart) [25:00]
Nocturne (arr. Alexander Kniazev) [4:28]
Eugène YSAŸE (1858-1931)
Berceuse, Op.20 (arr. Alexander Kniazev) [5:11]
Poème élégiaque, Op.12 (arr. Alexander Kniazev) [13:47]
Alexander Kniazev (cello)
Plamena Mangova (piano)
rec. Salle Ravenstein, Brussels, 26-28 October 2010
FUGA LIBERA FUG587 [55:10]
The notes for Alexander Kniazev’s disc of borrowed music open with an incomprehensible
justification for the practice of transcription. In truth, no argument is
necessary: if these musicians wish to take music written for violin and play
it on the cello, they are welcome. In practice, some works transfer better
than others, as demonstrated by this recital.
Kniazev is far from the first cellist to play César Franck’s evergreen Violin
Sonata and, as a transcription, it works well. The long lyrical lines of the
Sonata, composed for the young Eugène Ysaÿe in 1886, are rendered well on
Kniazev’s instrument and there isn’t too much rapid fingerwork to get caught
up in. Kniazev’s performance slows the opening Allegretto to a grandiose
showcase of his remarkable sound, a torrent of extraordinarily rich legato
tone redolent of Oistrakh and Rostropovich. It really is something to behold
- whenever the Sonata obliges, Kniazev opens the taps and that sound comes
out. It results, however, in a monolithic performance, basking in the glory
of these edifices but revealing disappointingly little of the music’s drama
and narrative. Pianist Plamena Mangova often has to make do with unsympathetic
tempos which disrupt the flow of Franck’s keyboard writing.
Franck’s song Nocturne of 1884 is successful without the words, but
two pieces by Ysaÿe reveal the more problematic aspect of transcription. Both
the Berceuse and the Poème élégiaque were composed for violin
and orchestra, though both are more commonly encountered in versions for violin
and piano. Ysaÿe’s often virtuosic writing pulls Kniazev away from his comfort
zone and, in all honesty, the transcriptions sound uncomfortable. In addition,
Ysaÿe’s music was often specifically composed around the possibilities of
his own instrument. A funereal episode in the Poème élégiaque is
a case in point: Ysaÿe asks the violin to detune the bottom string by a whole
tone, producing an unexpected and unusually deep sound. This section lies
well within the reach of the cello, and the effect is lost.
The disc is very clearly recorded, somewhat to the detriment of the impressionistic
Berceuse. While I’ve no problem with musicians looking further afield
for repertoire, I really wonder why Kniazev and Mangova chose to record two
of Ysaÿe’s violin works, when both his Sérénade and Méditation
for cello and piano have, to the best of a my knowledge, never been recorded.
Then there’s a darkly intense Sonata for Solo Cello, which Kniazev might have
excelled in. Maybe next time?
Andrew Morris
Remarkable playing doesn’t always make for a remarkable performance.
Support
us financially by purchasing this disc from |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|